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Twigs
Twigs" (born 970, Age of Men; died 999, Age of Men) was a notorious cutthroat, coward and ex-convict. His brief stint with Nikola Tesla, followed by a gruesome end at the hands of several Redcaps have placed his soul in the hands of the archdevil Mephistopholes. 'History' Early Life Born a bastard in the civilized borders of Ryedale, Twigs was an impressionable, slow-witted child and a constant burden to the whore-house he was raised in. He ran away at age twelve, chasing tales of his father, a heroic bandit that led a like-minded band of thieves far from the civilised lands of Clador. The tales, of course, were all a carefully fabricated myth to spare an earnest, wide-eyed child from the harsh truth. Twigs' father, Jack (from a long line of Jacks) was nothing like the tales, and all the now-grown Twigs has to remember him by are a trick elbow, a few scars, and the memory of him being torn apart by wyverns. Twigs fled into the Forests of Firr, his hunger and his terror his only companions as he wandered the forest, lashed by thorns, chased by a boar, and beset by the chittering sounds of the Firrwood's other denisens, but this would only be the start of Twigs' misfortunes. The youth was captured days later by the very bandits he sought, on the edge of the haunted wood, who apon finding they'd get no ransom for him, they set the terrified youth to work, performing menial tasks and living off scraps. 'Banditry' Thus Twigs would live out the next decade. Quickly forgotten by his captors (aside from the ocassional swift kick), the youth would take in all of their cruelty, violence and depravity with a wide-eyed innocence. In time, Twigs became a bandit himself, outliving his captors by several years. With the quick eyes of a scavenger, he had seen much, and he knew how to avoid the early death that was so common in his profession. After a particularly bloody Fae Time, Twigs and many of his fellows fled to the south, into the civilized lands of Malus. Among these men was Mercer, his long-time-partner. Twigs had a long succesful career in Malus, at first through petty brigandry, and then joining the Godsward-based slaver group known as the Soldiers of Fortune. , smuggling kidnapped travellers across the Godsward border into the Capitol, and unknowingly signing his soul over to the infernal lord Mephistopholes. However, his newfound success was not to last, and in time, Twigs and his band would be wanted all over the country for smuggling, brigandage, arson, kidnapping, looting, desertion, depravity and general lawlessness. With a price on their heads, knights all over the nation set to hunting them down, and before they could reach the border they were set apon by a band in the employ of House Cockburn, led by Sir Corrick Cockburn , a minor scion of his house. Wounded in the initial skirmish, and abandoned by the Soldiers, Twigs was easy pickings for the young knight. Marched through the Archaven square, interrogated, and left to rot for his ten-year-long sentance. 'Meeting Nikola Tesla' After two years of imprisonment, a bloody prison riot gave Twigs the opportunity he was waiting for. Fleeing down the Archaven streets and across the Godsward border, with half a mind for self-preservation, and another for revenge on his former comrades. However, those who travel alone in the Borderlands are easy pickings for slavers, and in a cruel twist of fate Twigs fell into the hands of his former comrade, Mercer, eager to exact revenge on the squealer who had cost him so many men. Once more imprisoned, and almost certainly facing torture, slavery, and likely death, Twigs' salvation came in the form of one Nikola Tesla, powerful lightning-user and prodigy, and with a combination of Twigs' guile, Tesla's magic, and the might of the golem under Tesla's command, the two escape capture, fleeing into Halifax , fleeing before the Soldiers ''can rally themselves. Having seen Tesla's explosive power in action, and decidedly short on friends, Twigs stuck to Tesla like glue, knowing an opportunity when he sees one. Trusting in the wizard and his fleshy companion to keep him safe and line his purse, Twigs developed a fierce loyalty to Tesla, much to the man's dismay. The pair arrived in Halifax and met the half-mad Novigen, who leads them to an abandoned temple of Frigga, where a terrifying sight makes Twigs lose his nerve, his fear keeping him firmly rooted for the spot instead of running for the hills as the fallen angel Dane appears to them, demanding Tesla submit to a series of trials. With Novigen in tow, the three battle vampires, monsters and vengeful spectres as Tesla watches each of his family members slaughtered in front of his eyes. Before Twigs can cut his losses and skip town, Tesla and Dane engage in a high-octane duel that nearly brings the temple down around them. Defeating even the mighty Tesla, the angel reveals that his family were safe all along, and that the "mad" cleric Novigen was in on it the whole time. Just as Twigs begun to get used to safety, his misfortune would catch up with him one more time... 'Damnation' Twigs awoke with a splitting headache to the crack of a broom being broken over his back. Above him stood Milka Tesla, once only mildly disgusted by Twigs, brandishing a splintered broom and confused and bewildered who this strange man was and what he was doing in their guest room. Fleeing outside and limping through the streets of Halifax, he tries to collect his thoughts. ''Why were his memories so foggy? What had happened to... Where had he been... Where was Tesla? Lost in his thoughts, he bumped into two all-too-familiar faces. The hulking figures of Mercer's lieutenants, Fist and Fang. Brutally beaten, but still living, he manages to crawl away, fleeing the city limits and cursing his luck, as a short, gnarled creature brandishing a wicked scythe set apon him, spilling his guts apon the forest floor. Twigs lay for days in agony on the shores of Acheron's River of the Damned. His belly split open, and paralyzed by fear and pain, he was soon collected by a Harvester, caged, and prepared for transport. Sobbing, his escape attempt nearly proves fatal as the jaws of a monstrous worm set apon the prisoner convoy, and Twigs escaps into the vast expanses of hell, set apon by Aboleths, Hell-Hounds and worse. He discovers the cliffside town of Preacher's Cove, a sanctuary for lost souls. Relative-safety under the thrall of the Cove's leader, the eponymous Preacher. Meeting Joy, an escaped prostitute, who calms the frightened bandit and nurses his wounds. As the pair make their way to the chapel, they overhear a conversation between Preacher and the Rei-jin, Katashi, about his deal with a hellbreaker.... a ticket out. Grudgingly striking a deal with the taciturn warlock, the three set out to Tantalus' Grove, but travelling through Acheron is rarely a wise course and Twigs watches his friend Joy and the warlock be torn apart in front of his eyes. Fleeing back to the saftety of Preacher's Cove, he is betrayed by Preacher, his soul bartered to Mephistopholes by the black priest, and he lives on, tortured, miserable and very confused, another pawn for the Prince of Hell. 'Powers and Abilities' Posessing neither great strength nor great ability, Twigs taps into a power unbeknownst to great heroes and powerful fiends; the power of desparation. Twigs fights like a rabid wolverine when cornered, capable of surprising bursts of strength and speed in a pinch. On top of that, he knows almost every dirty trick in the book, from the tried and true kidney punch to the Gulbreeze Kiss. To top it off, his lanky gait, cowardice and athletic ability ensure he can outrun almost any threat. Twigs also seems to posess an uncanny luck, that sees him through so many misfortunes (or perhaps, the bad luck to find them in the first place.) The source of this charmed fortune is unknown. Perhaps it is the fey of the Firrwood, or perhaps his fearful prayers are answered by the only god that will listen, or perhaps it is the ire of Lady Luck, choosing her own personal plaything.